An accelerometer has been proposed having dual proof masses. Each of the proof masses is constrained against movement by a beam resonant force transducer. The acceleration is determined by the relative a=A(f.sub.1 -f.sub.2) wherein a is the acceleration, A is the scale factor of the instrument, and f.sub.1 and f.sub.2 are the frequencies of the two force transducers.
The scale factors for the two proof mass-force transducer systems must be closely matched to achieve good linearity and to minimize vibration rectification errors. This is typically done by trimming the proof masses, that is, physically removing mass from one or the other proof masses until the scale factors for the two proof mass-force transducer systems match. This is a time consuming process requiring repetitive, successive trimming and testing of one or both proof masses.